e-governance, as a critical tool of governance, has ushered in effectiveness, transparency and accountability in governments. What inadequacies hamper the enhancement of these features?

e-Governance — the use of ICT to deliver public services and information — has made administration more effective, transparent and accountable by cutting discretion, delays and intermediaries. DBT, DigiLocker, UMANG and GeM illustrate this shift.

Gains in the three features

• Effectiveness: faster, doorstep service delivery through Common Service Centres and mobile platforms.
• Transparency: online records, e-tendering and RTI portals reduce information asymmetry.
• Accountability: audit trails, grievance redress (CPGRAMS) and real-time monitoring dashboards.

Inadequacies that hamper enhancement

• Digital divide: uneven internet access and low digital literacy exclude rural, poor, elderly and women users.
• Infrastructure gaps: patchy last-mile connectivity, power and bandwidth, especially in aspirational districts.
• Design deficits: non-user-friendly, English-heavy interfaces and poor interoperability between departmental silos.
• Cyber-security and privacy: rising data breaches and weak grievance mechanisms erode trust.
• Capacity and mindset: inadequate training, resistance to change and process re-engineering not done before automation.
• Exclusion errors: rigid Aadhaar authentication and connectivity failures deny entitlements to the genuinely eligible.

Way forward

Bridge the divide via BharatNet, multilingual and assisted interfaces, a robust data-protection regime under the DPDP Act, 2023, interoperable back-ends and capacity building. Re-engineering processes before digitising them ensures technology serves citizens rather than replicating old inefficiencies.